2013 Chevy Tahoe / Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 23DBH

[demolitionman13]

Hello,

We have a 2013 Chevy Tahoe Z-71 2 wheel drive with the 5.3 engine. We are looking to buy a larger travel trailer (currently pulling a pop up). We are looking at a Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 23DBH. From what I understand this is a 23' box with an overall length of 29' (1 slide). The dry weight is 5,380 lbs. Everyone at the dealership says the Tahoe will pull it. But I would like some input to see if this will be a safe and enjoyable towing experience, or if it will be a fight all the way. The trailer does have dual axles and I will buy the weight distribution hitch and have an electric brake controller.

We plan to make several 500 mile round trips per year, with some hilly terrain.

If this trailer is too big, what is the largest you recommend? I have included the specs from the dealer website on the 23DBH below.

Thanks,
Shane

GVWR 7621 lb.
Hitch Weight 621 lb
UVW 5380 lb.
CCC 2241 lb.
Exterior Length 29' 1"
Exterior Height 10' 6"
Exterior Width 97"

[falconbrother]

demolitionman13 wrote:
Thank you all for the feedback. We decided on a Puma with a 22’ box and no slide. Its about 4400 dry and about 25’ overal. Hopefully it will pull well.

You're not going to have any issues. Get yourself a decent WD hitch. Let an experienced person at the dealer set up the hitch. I'm pulling a 27 that over 30 overall with a Suburban. We've been in the mountains and to the beach a number of times. You might consider some Sumo Supersprings or Timbrens.

[APT]

bikendan wrote:

the OP is talking about a TT over 29' long! and a GVWR around 7600lbs.
i owned a 5.3 Avalanche(Suburban with a bed), which has a longer wheelbase than a Tahoe.
i would NEVER tow a 29' TT with it. it had the factory tow package and 3.73 rear end. but its max payload was only 1357lbs. and tow max was 7200lbs.

People with 2000-2006 3/4 tons (2000 pounds of payload) are comfortably towing 35' TTs. I tow a 32' TT plus 2' for the cargo tray/bike rack. Pay attention to suspension on the half tons which is limiting as you suggest with under 1400 pounds of payload.

Power: the 6-spd trans offers 4 usable towing gears with a much deeper first gear than the prior generation's 4-spd. Not fast, but plenty of power if you let the engine spin over 3000rpm.

[demolitionman13]

Thank you all for the feedback. We decided on a Puma with a 22’ box and no slide. Its about 4400 dry and about 25’ overal. Hopefully it will pull well.

[bikendan]

falconbrother wrote:
I'm towing 5,800 dry with a 2000 Suburban 5.3 rated at 7200. I added Sumo Supersprings and an extra transmission cooler. It does fine, as long as you're not in a big hurry. I would think that the 2013 Tahoe should be able to do the job for 5,400 dry. The 5.3 will do fine. Check your weight ratings. I can't imagine that the dry weight plus 1000 will be over your limit. You may need to help out the rear suspension some. As long as your trailer brakes are in adjustment and the controller is working then stopping is not an issue. The Tahoe wheel base is a bit shorter which might affect the stability. I see Tahoes pulling campers at the beach frequently. My guess is it would do fine.

the OP is talking about a TT over 29' long! and a GVWR around 7600lbs.
i owned a 5.3 Avalanche(Suburban with a bed), which has a longer wheelbase than a Tahoe.
i would NEVER tow a 29' TT with it. it had the factory tow package and 3.73 rear end. but its max payload was only 1357lbs. and tow max was 7200lbs.

[falconbrother]

I'm towing 5,800 dry with a 2000 Suburban 5.3 rated at 7200. I added Sumo Supersprings and an extra transmission cooler. It does fine, as long as you're not in a big hurry. I would think that the 2013 Tahoe should be able to do the job for 5,400 dry. The 5.3 will do fine. Check your weight ratings. I can't imagine that the dry weight plus 1000 will be over your limit. You may need to help out the rear suspension some. As long as your trailer brakes are in adjustment and the controller is working then stopping is not an issue. The Tahoe wheel base is a bit shorter which might affect the stability. I see Tahoes pulling campers at the beach frequently. My guess is it would do fine.

[t-smith]

You are probably rated for around 8100lbs towing. I had a 2003 1500 long bed with the 3.42 rear end, and I towed a Grey Wolf 28bh. The weight of the 28bh is basically the same as yours.
With a weight-distribution hitch, the truck had no issues pulling the camper around (Ohio).

However, I did take it down to TN and over to MD and back. It wasn't fun. 2nd gear up the mountains and 35-40mph.

So, if you are towing in a flat or moderately hilly area, you are fine. Otherwise, consider something with a 6 speed tranny.

[demolitionman13]

That sounds good. Thank you very much!

[APT]

With some modifications, I would tow up to about 5000 pounds dry. GM says the tow rating increased by 500 pounds with the 3.42 axle and another 2500 pounds with the HD towing package (mainly the HD trans cooler). The 6-spd trans you have gives you better towing performance than the older generation 4-spd with 4.10 axle. Get a HD trans cooler, WDH with integrated sway control, use tow haul mode and M4. You'll be comfortable with reasonable performance.

[bikendan]

demolitionman13 wrote:
Thank you all for your suggestions and feedback. Our Tahoe has the 3.08 axle and the hitch is rated for 10,000 lbs trailer weight and 1,000 lbs tongue weight. It looks like I need to find a lighter trailer. Do you think I would be ok with something similar length and lighter weight, like 4,000 lbs dry? That would keep the total at around 5,000 loaded. We are looking to buy a new trailer and not change the tow vehicle for some time. So I would like to get the nicest and largest trailer we can safely pull.

Thanks,
Shane

the hitch receiver(not hitch)rating of 10,000lbs is for the receiver alone, NOT for what your Tahoe can tow. GM puts that same receiver on many different GM vehicles that all have different tow ratings.
i owned a Chevy Avalanche which had the same receiver. its actual tow rating was nowhere near 10,000lbs.

[demolitionman13]

Thank you all for your suggestions and feedback. Our Tahoe has the 3.08 axle and the hitch is rated for 10,000 lbs trailer weight and 1,000 lbs tongue weight. It looks like I need to find a lighter trailer. Do you think I would be ok with something similar length and lighter weight, like 4,000 lbs dry? That would keep the total at around 5,000 loaded. We are looking to buy a new trailer and not change the tow vehicle for some time. So I would like to get the nicest and largest trailer we can safely pull.

Thanks,
Shane

[bartlettj]

I towed a similar sized trailer with an 03 Tahoe for many miles, and while I never had any issues with it I always felt like it was on the edges of steering and stopping capacity. I've since upgraded to a 2500HD diesel, and while that is gross overkill for my trailer (I was planning to upgrade that too) I find it way less tiring to drive long distance with, and I get better fuel economy. The main thing to be careful of with the Tahoe is to use a good wdh and sway control, and be very careful not to exceed the rear axle and hitch ratings. It wouldn't hurt to add a transmission cooler even if you have the tow package. I found the Tekonsha P3 with factory adapter harness to work great.

[ktosv]

What axle ratio does your Tahoe have?

Do you have the optional tow package? Or just the standard towing equipment?

[Lwiddis]

And the hitch alone will be 50 pounds off your payload.

[Lwiddis]

“The dry weight is 5,380 lbs. Everyone at the dealership says the Tahoe will pull it.“

I wouldn’t with my Tahoe. Six thousand pounds overall is my selfset limit. Then I move to a 3/4 ton truck. Wheelbase and payload are other concerns.